Boxes

Where are all my moms out there? Well, gather around because I have something pretty important to talk to you about today. That is, your children’s things they either have left behind or will leave behind someday when they leave the nest. If you’re a mom like me and still have kids in the house, this may be a topic you don’t want to think about yet. Mostly because the idea of your babies being grown and gone makes you want to sit in your closet with a tub of ice cream and cry. (Let’s be honest, about half of those will be happy tears.) I get it. I’m right there with you. But, if you’re also like me, you have had at least one kid already leave the nest, and when they did, they somehow left a mountain of useless junk that you don’t even know what half of it is. This is where this important conversation we need to have kicks in. It’s about how to manage the junk before it’s to the point of there being a thrift store in your own house and you being left to clean it out alone. 

 

When your child is growing up, you tend to collect and keep all the little things. A picture here, a macaroni mural there, a couple hand turkey’s, etc. And what seems like one or two things here and there, ends up being a whole pile of junk later. Especially once your child is old enough to start adding to the pile themselves. So, to avoid this, you need to be proactive about sifting through the jumble of crafts, clothes, and crap as you go. Let me show you how this can be done. 

 

First, get yourself maximum two (yes only two) cardboard boxes. Label those cardboard boxes with your child’s name. Then as they bring home those cute drawings, or grow out of that adorable shirt, or have that candid camera moment that you just had to print out from your computer, place them (after the time of displaying is over) into the box. However, here’s the trick. Once those boxes are full, that’s it. Everything else goes in the trash. And if you’ve filled to the top and there’s something else you just have to add, then it’s time to do a little swap. Exchange something that’s in the box for what you just have to put in there. That will do two things. One, it will force you to make a decision about what’s really important to keep. And two, by the time you kid leaves you’ll have only two boxes of stuff they either can take with them or will stay in your attic for the rest of forever. Plus, as an added bonus, you’ll get to go through the memories every so often and remind yourself of the times before they hated your guts. It’s really a precious moment. 

 

I know that this seems like a somewhat harsh concept. But, speaking from a place of experience, you and your child really aren’t going to care about having every single hand turkey they ever made. (And no, their future spouse or children won’t care either, despite what you’re telling yourself now.) So, do yourself a favor, and adopt my cardboard boxes method. I promise, it will save you and your sanity in the future.